


Late Night Talks

by MadamRed



Series: 400-Follower Celebration (Tumblr) [2]
Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: F/M, Father Figure, Stress
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-24
Updated: 2016-12-24
Packaged: 2018-09-11 18:11:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 875
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9001213
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MadamRed/pseuds/MadamRed
Summary: Writing prompts requested on Tumblr: “I can’t do this anymore” & “When was the last time you slept?”, with a hint of “I’m not okay.”





	

You let out a groan, followed by a defeated sigh, and got up. You left the room, trying not to wake JJ up. You felt slightly jealous of the blonde because she was doing what you had been unable to for some time now: sleep.

If anybody were to ask you, you were going to say that the case was wearing you out, but that wasn’t the real issue. Your final exams at the Academy were getting closer and closer, and you felt more unprepared than ever before. Sure, you were getting first-hand experience at the job a lot of your classmates dreamed of thanks to your internship. But it also meant having _very_ little time to study.

You went to the floor’s “lobby” area, which consisted of two uncomfortable-looking armchairs, a small table in the middle and a floor lamp in the corner. You sat there and looked out of the window, willing sleep to come. You had tried everything: focusing on your breathing, clearing your mind, counting sheep even. But nothing worked!

You had no idea how long you had been there, lost in your thoughts, until you heard a door opening and closing at the end of the hallway. It was a small hotel in the centre of town, and the team had booked all the rooms on that floor. You turned your head and saw your boss in his FBI-issued sweats and t-shirt. _Does the guy own anything that isn’t considered practical?_

‘(Y/L/N),’ his voice showed his surprise at finding you there.

‘Hi, Hotch,’ you greeted him in a small voice.

He studied your face, noticing the dark circles under your eyes, which had been heavily covered by make-up the past few days, if not weeks, for all he knew.

‘Is... anything the matter?’ he asked, cautiously, as he sat down on the armchair opposite you. You instinctively raised your feet and started playing with the hem of your pyjamas as you kept your eyes glued to the ground. The image reminded him of Jack, when he was scared of telling him he had done something wrong or had got a bad grade at school.

‘What? Um, no, no, why do you ask that?’ he just stared at your face with his signature _I-will-give-nothing-away_ expression, and you knew there was no way out. ‘I’m... I mean, lately, I’ve been... you know, I have, and...’

‘(Y/N),’ he called you, and you immediately raised your eyes, surprised at hearing him say your name, and were met with a much kinder look.

‘Is everything okay at home?’ you nodded at his question. You had two roommates, so it was a possibility.

‘School?’ you gave him another, albeit slower, nod. It was true, though, you were doing fine at school; you, on the other hand...

‘Are _you_ okay?’ this time, you faltered. And he saw right through it.

‘Do you need some time off?’ you opened your mouth, but no sound came out. ‘Just say the word and consider it done.’

‘Sir, I, um, I don’t-’ you were about to reject his offer and forget about the whole thing, but then, your mouth went against your wishes once your eyes connected, ‘I can’t do this anymore.’

Your mouth remained open and you stared at him, astonished at your own confession.

‘Hotch-’ you were about to rectify it and try to retain your position, when he interrupted you in a soft voice:

‘When was the last time you slept?’

It wasn’t an accusation or a reprimand of any kind. It was a simple question, and you had no answer for it.

‘I sleep a few hours a night, but-’

‘Not enough. What’s troubling you? The cases have been getting more and more gruesome,’ he sighed, letting you know that he, too, was exhausted.

‘No, it’s a little bit more _mundane_ than that,’ you told him. ‘My final exams are coming up and I can’t seem to retain _anything!_ The more I study, the more I envy Reid’s eidetic memory!’

Your frustrated tone made him chuckle, something that rarely happened during cases.

‘Do you need some help? I may not have Reid’s skills, but I could quiz you every once in a while.’

‘Sir, please, I don’t want to be any more of a burden than I already am for this team.’

‘You have never been a burden. Everyone needs some time to adjust to the dynamic and pace of this job,’ his small smile and shrug let you to know that he was relaxed and that he saw you as part of the “family”.

‘Thank you, Hotch, I really appreciate it,’ you told him honestly.

‘No problem,’ he said getting up from the chair. ‘We should both try to get some sleep. We still need to catch this guy.’

You agreed and went to your door, feeling like the weight on your shoulders had been lifted. You were about to turn the handle when your boss called your name once more:

‘(Y/L/N), I expect you to come half an hour earlier next Monday for our first study session,’ and with that he disappeared into his room.

You groaned again. You may have made a horrible mistake when you accepted his help.


End file.
